Exquist Flintlock

Originally published September-October 2023 · pp. 74–78

Exquisite Flintlock

Known primarily as a producer of military weapons, the Royal Arms Manufactory at SaintEtienne occasionally made luxury weapons, of which this is perhaps the finest example known. Depictions of classical gods and goddesses are chiseled into the steel parts; and the left side of the butt is inlaid in silver with a scene of dogs attacking an imperial double-headed eagle, a reference to France’s continual political and military struggle against the Holy Roman Empire.

Steel-chiseler: Louis Jaley (French, SaintEtienne 1696–1773) Barrelsmith: Nicolas Carteron (French, Saint-Etienne, recorded ca. 1733–63) Stock maker: Joseph Blachon (French, Saint-Etienne, recorded ca. 1725–35) Dated: 1735 Dimensions: Length: 57 ½ in. (146.1 cm); Length of barrel: 41 7/8 in. (106.5 cm); caliber .62 in. (15.5 cm)

From the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Harris Brisbane Dick and Rogers Funds, 1987.

REFERENC ES: B ru u n Rasmussen K u n s t a u k t i o n e r. Internationale Og Danske Malerier, Antikviteter: Hidrørende Fra Advokat Sonja Tafdrup Rohbeck, Fru Karen Margrethe Wivel Samt Forskellige Boer Og Rekvirenter; Auktion 467 7. November Til 23. November Kl. 13 Samt Visse Dage Også Kl. 10. Kopenhagen: Bruun Rasmussen Kunstauktioner, November 7–23, 1984. no. 2068, ill. Forissier, Maurice, and Christian Friedrich. Gravure Moderne De Saint-Etienne: Capitale De L’armurerie Française. Biarritz: Atlantica, 1988. p. 23 (Louis Jaley discussed). Nickel, Helmut, and Stuart W. Pyhrr. “Arms and Armor.” Recent Acquisitions (Metropolitan Museum of Art) (1988), p. 24, ill. Nickel, Helmut. “Arms and Armor from the Permanent Collection.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin (Summer 1991), pp. 44–45, 64, ill. Maguin, Paul. Les Armes De Saint-Étienne: Une Histoire En Images De L’armurerie